Neshaminy-Warwick: Loving God. Building Disciples. Serving Christ.

Neshaminy-Warwick:

Loving God. Building Disciples. Serving Christ.

Neshaminy-Warwick Presbyterian Church is a historical, generationally diverse, mid-sized congregation located in beautiful Bucks County.  Founded in 1726, the church is an important part of its community and Pennsylvania history. Similar to our earlier story on Deep Run Presbyterian Church, a congregation about 15 miles north, Neshaminy-Warwick has ties to the Rev. William Tennent, who was its founder and first minister.  In this space he began the famous Log College (which later went on to become Princeton University).  With such rich history that reflects an innovative and forward-thinking spirit, the congregation continues to take pride in its past while imagining ways to be relevant and meaningful in Bucks County today.

According to Pastor Mark Lyndaker-Studer, the congregation strongly values mission, community, and music. On a typical Sunday morning the church hosts a 9:00 a.m. service that includes a mix of traditional hymns and contemporary worship music integrated throughout the entire hour. Neshaminy-Warwick’s congregation is full of musical talent, with the worship band including people of all ages. Immediately following the service, the congregation holds a churchwide brunch where worshipers have time to converse, laugh, and enjoy a meal together.

While worship and fellowship are important at Neshaminy-Warwick, their work as a congregation is not confined to Sunday mornings.  Over the past decade, the neighborhood around the church has undergone an economic transformation into a largely white-collar community.  Rev. Lyndaker-Studer has led his congregation to embody the spirit of Luke 12:48, “To whom much is given, much will be required.”  The members and friends of Neshaminy-Warwick have devoted their time, knowledge, and treasure to supporting their mission partners, which include West Kensington Ministry, CrossRoads Ministry, Code Blue, Oxford Christian Development, and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.  During the Covid-19 pandemic, when social distancing made mission work more difficult despite needs being greater than ever, the congregation stepped up by organizing a socially-distanced drive-through food drive in their church’s parking lot.  Rev. Lyndaker-Studer states that their devotion to mission is driven by the question, “If our church vanished, would the community know?”

As Presbyterians, we believe that the church is “reformed and always reforming,” which allows us to look at the past and see ways that we have been able to adjust, adapt, and recreate ourselves to be evermore relevant to the Gospel message for the world today.  In this way, doing something new isn’t anything that new.  At Neshaminy-Warwick, the congregation has answered that call to share the good news and hope of the Gospel with the world, and find ways to show God’s love and hope amidst division.  They are committed to being a place where justice is sought, working to overcome racism and hatred by following Jesus’ example.  Neshaminy-Warwick is a church where all people are welcome at the table – everyone’s voice is heard and folks can even disagree with one another, while still showing Christian love and respect.

May God continue to bless this place of rich history with a future filled with new ways to spread the love and justice of Jesus Christ to their community and the world.

Photo descriptions

  • A typical Sunday morning service at Neshaminy-Warwick
  • Rev. Mark Lyndaker-Studer preaches
  • The congregation hosting Trunk-or-Treat
  • The church holds its annual Vacation Bible School